Crazy Horse, June 27

After Mt Rushmore, Judy and I drove to the Crazy Horse Monument about 10 miles from Mt Rushmore.  The sculptor Korczak Kiolkowski, who had worked with Borglum at Mt. Rushmore, had received a first prize at the Chicago World’s Fair for his bust of Paderewski.  Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear wrote to him and ask if he would consider carving a monument of Crazy Horse to represent the Indian heroes of the US.  After visiting, Korczak accepted the proposal and worked on the monument until his death in 1982 at the age of 74.  His wife Ruth and seven of his 10 children have continued the construction of the monument.  So far the face is complete and the outline of his arm and hand pointing are visible.  Crazy Horse points, saying, “My lands are where my dead lie buried” to the question: “Where are your lands now”.  When completed it will be six times the size of the Mt Rushmore monument.  Crazy Horse’s head is 87 feet high and he will ride on his horse whose head is 219 feet high.  The monument will be 563 ft high when completed.